hello im new to the site but have found it quite informative .I have a question and a story first about 4 weeks ago coyotes got 3 of my bantys and the other 3 have not been the same since ie laying eggs and such does anyone have any idea if they might be traumatized by the event???I would really like to know if anyone else has been through this.
thank you
cheers
no eggs
I have not been through this, but I have read on a number of threads that it chickens will stop laying when traumatized and I have no doubt the survivors were. You can put some vitamins in their water and try to stick to your usual routines. Hopefully they will perk back up real soon.
The other question I'm sure will come up is the time of year and egg laying. Do you provide artificial light for them? If not, they tend to lessen their laying this time of year due to less hours of light.
Hang in there, welcome to the group!, I'm sure someone with much more knowledge will pop by in a bit.
Kristin
Your right, Kristin. They will stopping laying when stressed--either by molting, nutritional or emotional stress. Depending on the breed, keeping things calm, providing a little higher nutrition than usual (i.e. protein) and maybe some supplemental light, should start them laying again. Some breeds (e.g. Dutch Bantam) are known to be poor winter layers, but I think most breeds will lay at least a little throughout the winter with supplemental lighting.
I just hatched 8 Dutch Bantams!
thank you so much for the info
ttys
amy
mine stopped laying the last 2 weeks i just thought it was the short days
and no artificial light . when mine were tramatized they only skipped 1 or 2 days
ralph
I have had a bunch of Coyotes around lately, they got my cat who did not come in the house the other night. My chickens were freaking the other day before sunrise yesterday and I ran out there with my 45 and shot a coyote trying to get into my chicken coop. (Hit that sucker too by the way and called one of the cowboys to come bury it). Since then my roosters who had just started singing good morning, are not singing. I have not gotten any eggs either. Today they finally talked to me and I am hoping that the roosters will sing to me tomorrow.